1. Scope of Invention
The present invention is generally directed to fish-handling equipment, and more particularly to a fish scale with digital read-out of one or more stored fish weight information and which includes pivotally moveable opposing jaws which will engage the lower lip of the fish without harm.
2. Prior Art
For the more serious fishermen and in tournament competition, the ability to catch, weigh and release fish unharmed should be facilitated by fish-handling tools for this purpose. Once a fish is caught and landed, the precise weighing of the fish and the recordation of data is best accomplished with a fishing tool which does not injure the fish so that it may be returned to the sea.
One such device known to applicant was invented by Camp and is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,119,585. This patent teaches a fish-handling tool having a complex structure which causes opposing jaws to pivotally move from an automatically locked closed position wherein the distal lower ends of the jaws touch one another to an open position wherein the lower lip of a fish may be positioned there between, after which the releasing of a longitudinal actuator of the device causes the jaws to re-close on the lower lip. Thereafter, the Camp device is provided with a conventional tubular spring scale with incremental readings for fish weight inscribed along an inner tubular member within the handle. However, this device has no means for the accurate digital reading of fish weight and has no provision for the storing of data with respect to each fish caught and weighed. Moreover, it is not buoyant.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,031710, Parker teaches an electronic fish scale which utilizes the linear displacement of a spring along a variable resister to provide an electrical signal in proportion to the amount of weight of the fish hung therefrom. A pair of fish-handling pliers is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,256,923 invented by Norton which is structured similar to that of a conventional pair of Vice Grips having spaced jaws which come together over the lower lip of the fish, presumably without harming the fish.
A fish stringer with floating weight indicator is disclosed by Coles in U.S. Pat. No. 5,987,808. This invention, which does not weigh a fish, is generally directed to a conventional fish stringer having an openable hook attached to one end and a floating weight indicating device attached to the other end of the elongated flexible cord. Although this device does not actually weigh a fish, it includes rotatable discs each bearing numerical indicia which may be positioned to indicate the weight of the fish before it is placed in a live fish well. The fisherman may then easily observe the weights of all of the fish in the well by simply looking at each of the floating weight indicating devices attached to the corresponding fish.
The present invention provides a fish scale which incorporates all of the benefits of the above prior art with the addition of several added features. Preferably buoyant or floatable, the device includes a digital display which not only indicates the weight of a fish caught and hung therefrom, but also accumulates the weights of a number (xe2x80x9cNxe2x80x9d) of fish and provides an aggregate weight and an ordered weight from highest to lowest or lowest to highest viewed sequentially as desired by the fisherman. Additionally, a warning signal is provided in the digital display screen that the weight limit of the device has been exceeded which could lead to damage of its molded plastic housing or internal electronic weighing components. A simplistic, yet effective design for opposing c-shaped openable jaws is also provided for harmlessly engaging the lower lip of a fish while it is being weighed by the device. Moreover, the housing is ergonomically configured to facilitate hand holding of the device while the jaws are opened and closed and while the fish is being held for weighing therefrom. An aperture is also provided to attach the device either to a rope or hook to facilitate fish weighing.
This invention is directed to an electronic fish scale comprising a molded housing having upper and lower portions for supported hand grasping. An electronically controlled weight-sensing member and a viewable digital output screen are mounted within the housing. The output screen is electronically connected to the weight-sensing member whereby a weight held by gravity causes a digital numeric display on the output screen equal to the fish weight. A fish-engaging assembly extends downwardly from the weight-sensing member through an aperture formed in the bottom of the housing, and includes a pair of opposed c-shaped jaws. A longitudinally moveable jaw actuator is operably connected through a jaw control member via a rotation pin through diagonally extending aligned slots in the jaws whereby the jaws are opened when the jaw actuator is manually moved upwardly. A lower lip of a fish securely held and unhurt between the closed jaws will produce a digital display of the weight of the fish on the output screen. Housing contour facilitates hand-holding of the device and an array of unique digital data may be selectively displayed.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a fish scale which is easily portable and hand-holdable during both fish engaging and fish weighing procedures.
It is another object of this invention to provide a fish scale having multi-function digital display screen and pivotally openable jaws which are harmlessly engagable with the lower lip of a fish.
Still another object of this invention in its preferred embodiment is to provide a buoyant fish scale with non-harmful jaws which engage the lower lip of a fish and which provides a multi-function digital L.C.D. readout display.
Still another object of this invention is to provide a fish scale which is ergonomically configured and surface textured to enhance gripability so that larger fish may be manually weighed without the need of attaching the device to a hook or a rope.